The Significance of the Fast in Acts 27:9

Abstract

This paper proposes that the brief and somewhat ambiguous reference to the “Fast” in Acts 27:9—an allusion to the great Jewish ceremonial fast-day of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement—was included in the Lukan narrative not only to provide a seasonal setting for Paul’s voyage to Rome, but also to convey a theological message. Mention of the Fast was intentionally designed to prepare the early Christian audience for the trauma of the storm and shipwreck that was about to unfold in the coming verses of Acts by creating parallels between Paul’s journey and that of the Old Testament prophet, Jonah.